It is more than 125 years ago that the world’s first commercial movie screening took place. It wasn’t in Hollywood, or indeed in a grand theatre viewed by hundreds of guests. In fact, the pioneers of moving picture projection were initially refused access to theatres and so, on 28th December in 1895, it was a small lounge in the basement of the Grand Café in Paris that first hosted a cinematic experience.

The screening was of a film made by Louis and Auguste Lumiere, two French brothers who had developed a camera-projector called the Cinematographe. Fast forward to the present day, and the direction of travel suggests that the future of cinematography will increasingly return to these origins of smaller audiences, not in cafés, but in our own homes.

Home cinema technology has accelerated so fast and to such an extent that a dedicated cinema room at home can create a superior cinematic experience compared to the big screen multiplexes, and you have the added comfort of being in your own home.

With streaming services taking over the way we choose and enjoy the latest blockbusters, giving us choice of what we want to watch and when in an instant, the idea of travelling to watch a movie screened at a prescribed time starts to sound old fashioned. For more and more of us, a home cinema experience will become just that; a specialist room delivering the full, immersive, cinematic environment at home which you share with family and friends.

Clarke Infinity is celebrating 35 years of specialising within the home cinema industry and owner Simon Clarke has seen dramatic changes over that time, but the latest trends are very clear to him, as increasingly people are looking to enjoy a trip to the cinema – without the trip.

“Creating a dedicated room for your home cinema is obviously an investment,” says Simon, “but for me it all comes down to the relationship between the time you spend in the room and the quality of that time. If you’re going to spend every Saturday night watching a movie or live sport, what value do you put on that time over 10 years and how great should the reward be in terms of quality?

“Every room I design is created as if it was my room and my own money, so I am driven by what suits the client’s needs. Today, delivering the best experience involves so much more than just a screen and a projector. It’s about creating the best possible visual and acoustic dynamic in sumptuous luxury. What we are creating in people’s homes now is even better than what they might experience at a multiplex cinema.”

What makes a home cinema a better experience?

Ideally, the seating distance should be three times the height of the display to allow for a 33° horizontal viewing angle and an 18° vertical viewing angle for displays with 1080p resolution. The perfect seating distance allows the viewer to experience the immersion effect without losing detail in their peripheral vision, providing a more satisfying entertainment experience overall.

This can be created in a very bespoke and specific way in a cinema room compared to the open spaces of a traditional cinema screen. Dedicating a room to your home cinema enables you to control not only the AV experience, but also the physical comfort. Details such as seating, storage for refreshments, individual styling and even a silent air-conditioning unit to maintain the best acoustic and optimum ambiance can all be controlled to deliver an individualised experience to match your every need.

Is it time to bring the immersive cinematic experience into your home? Get in contact with the friendly Clarke Infinity team of experts on 01277 624444 or by emailing [email protected] to start discussing your project.